Find. Banish. Escape. Repeat. A First Look at Hunt: Showdown

Imagine trudging through a dark Louisiana swamp with a friend, hunting a demonic spider while avoiding various types of zombies and hell dogs. Sounds great, right? Now what if I told you that there were other pairs of monster hunters searching for the same spider…while simultaneously hunting you?

This is the basic concept behind Hunt: Showdown, a new first-person multiplayer monster hunter game from Crytek. Up to six teams of two players go searching for a variety of different demonic targets in order to gain their bounty. Your goal: Find the monster, banish it, and get out alive.

We were shown a brief video of gameplay, but the game is still very much a work in progress. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any further details about the other monsters available to hunt, nor any information on when the game will be released. The first look gave a sense of the gritty and dark atmosphere the Crytek team has created for Hunt: Showdown. You can almost feel the sticky warmth in the swamp, and a very real danger is clearly lurking around every dark corner—both in the form of demonic monsters and other hunters.

The mechanics of this game are intriguing. While it’s a first-person shooter at heart, you don’t want to run into any situations with your guns blazing. Gunshots give away your position to other players, and flashlights can be seen for miles around. If you die, your partner can revive you, but watch out—if you both die, it’s game over. Both your characters and their gear are gone for good. While you’ll only lose the gear you brought into the match, it’s still a hefty price to pay.

In addition to the other players, there are deadly zombies out there trying to get you as well while you search for your bounty. We were introduced to two special types of zombies, a bug-infested creature called the Hive and a blind brute affectionately referred to as the Meathead. There are also hell dogs lurking around the map who bark and attack if given the chance, forcing you to engage them in a fight while they simultaneously alert your fellow players to your location.

There’s no campaign or single-player mode for Hunt: Showdown, and there are a lot of features that have yet to be announced, as Crytek is still in the thick of finalizing the gameplay. The release date has not yet been announced, but you can check out Hunt’s website for updates and more. Initial plans are for a PC release, though they may consider more platforms at a later date.